Yeah, I don't think a stool sample can be useful to diagnose cancer. That doesn't necessarily mean she's lying though. She may just have misheard or be jumping to conclusions. Given the doctor apparently also said it could be a bleed, it does not sound like they diagnosed her with anything.
My guess, and I am no expert, but this is how it sounds to me is that she had a FIT test and they found blood in the stool. This is used as a screening test for cancer but only means more tests are necessary and/or that the blood test showed her to be anemic and that the doctor is concerned it may be cancer.
Did she say what treatment they are going to do? It sounds unlikely to me that a doctor would just say "we will treat you for bowel cancer," without giving any indication of what that means? Surgery? Chemotherapy? Are you sure she didn't misheard the doctor saying they would test her for bowel cancer?
It is possible she's lying or also that she actually has bowel cancer and simply didn't mention all the tests she has had for some reason, but...what she has said sounds consistent with giving blood in her stool and anemia and being worried it's bowel cancer. Did she have anybody with her at the appointment? One of the reasons this is recommended is because it's so easy to mishear or misinterpret as you hear "cancer" and get so freaked you miss the rest.
It really sounds to me like she could have had a FIT test and a blood test which found blood in stool and anemia and she asked what that meant and the doctor said there could be many causes including a bleed (or something she interpreted that way as any blood in stool would be from some kind of bleed) or cancer and she has gotten it into her head it's probably cancer and she will need treatment.
If you look through the site, you will see many people who have had reactions like that. "The doctor says it could be a number of things but I'm sure it's cancer." I think it's sort of a way of preparing for the worst.
Of course this may not be the case but unless she has a history of pathological lying, I would think it more likely she is confused or thinking the worst. Especially after your wife's experience. Cancer is probably on her mind now and feels real to her.
No she hasn't had a FIT test and she says that over the years they have only done blood tests asked for stool samples but she hasn't done the stool samples before because she didn't need to go and apparently they wanted to do other tests a couple of years ago but she said she couldn't as she was busy with other things which makes me more suspicious as regardless of your plans if you're being tested for cancer you aren't going to say no to tests because you're busy as everyone knows the sooner a diagnosis the better plus I'm pretty sure that if she couldn't give a stool sample at the hospital they would have given her the test kit so she could do it at home and send back. Nothing about her story adds up???
Don't get me wrong as I really do hope I'm completely wrong and she is being truthful but as I said nothing adds up but like yourself I'm no professional and can only go buy other peoples experiences and none have had to wait years for a yes or no for a cancer result or have constant tests for years to determine it.
Hello Andy, I don't want to be the cause of any family arguments here, but it is not unheard of for siblings to actually feel jealous when a brother or sister is getting a bit of attention for having a serious illness. When I got my first breast cancer diagnosis, my eldest sister claimed that she had lung cancer, which turned out to be a complete fabrication. My sister has always been jealous of me (I don't know why because I haven't had the greatest life in the world but I digress), but these things DO happen in families. It is EXTREMELY unlikely that any Doctor would tell a person they have cancer without first doing all of the usual tests. Violet.
Thank you violet and no it won't cause any rift but I'm sure the exact same thing is happening here I just needed to know that it's not me being crazy and also so I know what to expect in the near future. I just wish I could explain to my partner so she can concentrate on her own treatment without causing more stress and arguments. Im sure sooner rather than later the truth will reveal itself anyway as there's only so much she can say/do before my partner realises herself.
I hope your treatment is going well and all the best for the future and if you are in remission already then congratulations.
Hi Andy, I'm sorry about your partner, it must be hard enough that she has breast cancer, let alone to be dealing with this confusion.
You mention the sister is the type to want everything to be about her.. maybe she has Munchausen Syndrome which is a psychological disorder where people fake illnesses in order to be the centre of attention. I've read about people who have gone the extra step and tampered with tests (e.g making themselves bleed and putting it in their stool sample) so they can have further investigations which is awful, especially since waiting lists are long enough as they are. Health should be something people are grateful for.
She might not be completely lying, she may have blood in stools and abnormal blood test results. This might be making her think the worst but it doesn't mean she should tell people she has bowel cancer.
It doesn't sound realistic that she has been diagnosed wirh bowel cancer because blood tests and stool samples aren't enough to diagnose this. If this was the case, GP's would be able to diagnose bowel cancer as those tests are usually used at the GP surgery before referring the patient. The results of these tests gives the GP an idea of how urgently they should refer the patient.
If her doctors really have told her that she has bowel cancer, they are in the wrong as you mention she hasn't had the further tests like a colonoscopy. Cancer isn't something doctors usually take lightly. They usually ask the patient if they have come with a family member before informing them that they've seen something that looks like cancer.
